Stephen Bentley - Writer

Another step closer to converting my tourist visa into a 13A Visa. This is intended as an update for all who are contemplating the same 13A visa process and to those of you who have asked me for the information. I hope what follows is helpful. May I say at the outset that there is no need to pay lawyers or fixers to process this application. It is easy if you complete the forms correctly and follow the simple step by step guide below. For the uninitiated, a 13A Visa is to convert from a tourist visa to a Non-Quota Immigrant Visa By Reason of Marriage. If approved, you, the applicant foreigner, are permitted to stay in the Philippines on a one year Probationary basis…. Read More

I am re-blogging this post as to where to find the best eats in Bacolod. It was originally blogged by Sigrid Says, a very good local Negrense blogger. The original post is reproduced below. I hope you find it useful whether you are a local or a visitor to Bacolod, the City of Smiles. I love my food and it struck me as a good idea to share Sigrid’s post as it were “blind.” In other words I will reproduce it first before reading it then at the foot of this post I will make my own observations. One observation I will make now is that I firmly believe if you are an expat living in the Philippines it helps if you like at least… Read More

Happy Christmas to all of you! I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while. My writing and other book-related activities such as book reviews took up so much time lately and are likely to do so in the foreseeable future. I’m sure that many of you who receive my monthly newsletter will already have guessed that for the newsletter includes posts from this blog and from my author website. One of the beauties of living in the tropics is the ability to go to the beach all year round. The temperatures don’t vary much through the year, a usual high of about 32C with a low of about 26C. Just watch out for the two distinct rainy seasons and the occasional typhoon! As much as… Read More

Drugs watch as a title was prompted by recent events in Bacolod and in Huyton, Liverpool, UK. Then I checked the Huyton news story and I can find no connection to drugs. Huyton is where I grew up and lived for almost the first twenty years of my life. [Update: since writing that I have read the police have recovered a large amount of cash, guns and drugs in Huyton] The Huyton incident involved a seventeen year old being shot in the head while riding on the back of a motorbike – a truly shocking and brutal murder. My first instinct was to think it was drug related. I can be excused for that as the local paper, the Liverpool Echo, carries a gun crime… Read More

“Love is blind,” they say but this is a case of blinded by love in the Philippines. This sad but somewhat avoidable story was brought to my attention recently. I refrain from making too much comment as the story speaks for itself. You may recall I wrote about similar issues recently. It’s a story all too familiar in the Philippines. Many foreigners have been ripped off, scammed by Filipinas. The foreigner becomes blinded to the loopholes in the girl’s explanations, blinded by love. I could say this scenario is almost a cottage industry here but that is harsh. Most Filipinos of both sexes are honest, trustworthy people. There are things Mr. Wenham could and should have done. He should have had the girl checked out…. Read More

Three years, almost, is long enough for me to offer some advice and some tips as to the key to survival in the Philippines. This is aimed more at people thinking of retiring here but I guess it applies as much to those who struggle to adapt to a new way of life. If there is one word that sums up the key to survival in the Philippines it is that one – adapt. Adaptability, flexibility whatever you want to call it are key. If you want to stick to your old ways, then perhaps a foreign country is not for you. The need to be flexible applies in all kinds of ways. But more than anything else it applies to your mindset, your attitude…. Read More

Yes, you heard me right – me, an expat in Bacolod got married! I was the lucky man to slip the ring on Zabrina’s finger at our wedding ceremony on August 17, 2017, at the Hall of Justice, Bacolod. We were both happy as I believe you will see from the photos and videos. It was a great day for many reasons. Not only did I marry the woman I love but we had two dear friends as our witnesses, Ging and Edgar. Thanks for the flowers, Ging! To top it off, we were married by the most lovely man – Judge Estefanio S. Libutan Jr. He did his duty but added such a warm, personal touch. Our two dear friends were instrumental in… Read More

The Farmhouse at May’s Organic Garden in Bacolod is a little gem. As the name implies, the food is all organic and natural ingredients. It was a busy Sunday and this place wasn’t our first choice but I am so pleased we ended up there for lunch. It was busy out on the roads owing to huge swathes of Bacolod City being subjected to a scheduled brownout (power outage) for maintenance purposes. First we went to Punta Taytay to try one of the restaurants specializing in fish. But they were ridiculously busy and the one we did go into did a nice line in loud “boom boom” music. If you can call it music! No thank you so we turned around and headed back through Sumag… Read More

‘King of the Road’ was a huge hit for singer Roger Miller in the 1960’s. It had nothing to do with driving a car, parking it, Bacolod or the Philippines. I use that title because it sums up the attitude of way too many car owners in Bacolod. They think they own the road. They believe they can do just as they damn well please and to hell with any other road user. Some of you who have followed me since 2015 will know this is a familiar refrain from me. I even wrote a book about it. This is a great cue to remind you of that book and a cool new Amazon feature. Let me show you first: Wow! How cool is that!… Read More

You can call it fishy if you like but there’s nothing fishy at all about two of Bacolod’s finest fish restaurants. They are Diotay (pronounced Joetie) and Ading’s. Zabrina and I had the pleasure of lunching in both recently on separate days of course 🙂 There isn’t much to choose between the two but they are very different in some ways. Diotay’s is in Luzuriaga Street and is more humble and basic than Ading’s but it makes up for it in fast service and the quality and freshness of the seafood is fantastic. It is a little less expensive than Ading’s but most locals will tell you the latter is too dear. I’m not having that as the difference in price is not phenomenal. When… Read More